VIKOR method for material selection problems with interval numbers and target-based criteria

The problem with supporting decision-making to help choose materials in engineering design is that it needs different tools in different situations. This is because there is actually a range of values for any property of a given material and there are several methods in multi-attribute decision making (MADM) for ranking of alternatives based on interval data. Recently some MADM methods have been updated for materials selection that address target-based criteria, and validated using biomedical implant design applications. When data are not exact and target-based criteria available, the current methods must be modified to show the correct ranking of materials. Therefore, in this research a new VIKOR method for ranking materials with simultaneous availability of interval data and all types of criteria is presented. Three practical examples of materials selection, including biomedical implants, are presented to demonstrate the extended approach and its validity. It is shown that when there are no target criteria, the new method is the same as the conventional method. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.